LAKKI MARWAT: The district chapter of All Primary Teachers Association in a meeting on Thursday threatened to launch an agitation if undue political interference in the affairs of education department was not stopped forthwith.

APTA district president Abdul Rahim chaired the meeting, which was attended by provincial vice-president Shafiq Ahmad, district general secretary Mohammad Ibrahim and other office-bearers.

The meeting expressed concern over the meddling by local government representatives in the affairs of schools. It warned that political interference in the public sector educational institutions and district education department would affect their performance.

The APTA leaders hailed the provincial government for giving representation to the local government representatives in the parent-teacher councils (PTCs) of schools and called for stopping them from undue interference in the managerial and educational matters.

They said that utilisation of millions of rupees through PTCs under the supervision of education department officials had been helping in equipping the schools with basic facilities. They said that almost all the government primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools in the district had the basic facilities like drinking water, electricity, latrines, boundary walls and additional classrooms.

They welcomed the action by local education department authorities against the absent teaching and non-teaching staff, saying that the teachers body would support efforts for promotion of education in the district.

OIL REFINERY: Former federal minister Salim Saifullah Khan has said that his family wants to set up an oil refinery in the southern districts, urging the federal government to give a positive response to the offer.

Talking to a delegation at his residence in Ghaznikhel, he claimed that his family had contributed to the development of southern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that efforts by Saifullahs attracted investment for establishment of several industrial units in the southern region.

“The establishment of industrial units and factories helped to overcome unemployment,” he said. Mr Khan said that the southern districts were rich in oil and gas production and there was a dire need to convince investors to set up oil refineries in the private sector.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2016